Making men aware

You don’t need to convince Griffey Sr. of the importance of getting screened.

As a 67-year-old African-American man, he already is in a higher risk group. Add to that the fact four of his uncles died from the disease, and the necessity to get screened annually became even more important.

“Don’t let it get outside the box,” he said.

Griffey Jr. is now 47, so he is approaching the age where prostate cancer becomes more common.

“It’s always been a concern because of my dad and uncles,” he told Healthline.

Griffey Jr. still gets annual physicals, and prostate cancer screening is part of that routine.

“I’m used to it,” he said.

He noted that it is important for younger men to get screened but also to encourage their friends to do the same thing.

“It’s important for friends to get on each other about it,” he said.

There are those who say men don’t need regular prostate cancer screenings. They say the PSA and other tests can miss cancers as well as cause infections and other problems.

Those criticisms came to light last year when actor Ben Stiller wrote an essay about getting prostate cancer at age 46. He said an early screening saved his life.